How to contact your local politician and be heard

Want to give a politician a piece of your mind but don't know how to go about it — or if it is even worth it?

While yelling or getting abusive online is only going to make things worse, Leanne Minshull from the think tank Australia Institute Tasmania said contacting politicians can and does bring about change.

"It's the community who decides who gets elected," Ms Minshull said.

"It's the community who should be helping politicians set a pathway to where we want to go, and you can't do that if you're not engaging."

Ms Minshull said contacting a politician would at least make them aware of an issue, even if it did not change their stance.

How to best get your point across

Ms Minshull said the best way to contact a politician was in a way that you feel most comfortable with.

"I don't know why it is, but there's something about having to ring somebody in a position of authority, it makes you nervous," she said.

"I used to work in a minister's office and receive correspondences, but I rang Malcolm Turnbull's office last week and I got butterflies in my stomach before I did it."